Floor cleaning or burnishing machines are either a walk-behind or a ride-on type that are operated for vacuuming, sweeping, buffing, stripping, scrubbing and cleaning. These machines operate on generally level and on uneven floors, where, for example, bumps, dirt and/or objects can be present. Typically, wheels or casters associated with these machines are axially aligned, for example, across the floor cleaning or burnishing machine from one another. In some cases, the wheels may be mounted on a common axle. Alternately, the wheels or casters can be attached to the machine without a common axle connecting them.
Regardless of whether wheels or casters are used and their alignment, an uneven floor, dirt/debris, or objects on the floors, can cause the machines to operate improperly. For example, if one of two aligned rear wheels becomes misaligned horizontally above or below the other wheel, one of the wheels may grip the floor or an object on the floor, while the grip of another wheel may be diminished or the wheel may merely spin, thereby only two wheels and/or casters may make significant contact. As a result, the machine can tip or move in a direction that is not desired, thus causing injury to the operator or other individuals, and may cause physical damage to a facility or products.
Therefore, what is sought is a suspension for a floor cleaning or burnishing machine that can compensate for misalignment of wheels, uneven floors, and debris, while making a three point contact with a floor. As a result, such a suspension would protect against the machine tipping, bursting forward or reverse, or being misdirected, so as to prevent injury to the operator or other individuals, while avoiding causing physical damage to a facility or products.